A Bronx Tale

A Bronx Tale is a 1993 American coming-of-age crime drama film directed by and starring Robert De Niro in his directorial debut and produced by Jane Rosenthal, adapted from Chazz Palminteri's 1989 one-man play. It tells the coming-of-age story of an Italian-American boy, Calogero, who, after encountering a local Mafia boss, is torn between the temptations of organized crime and the values of his honest, hardworking father, as well as racial tensions in his community. The Broadway production was converted to film with limited changes. De Niro, who first viewed the play in Los Angeles in 1990, acquired the rights from Palminteri, with the intent of making the play his directorial debut. The duo worked heavily together on the screenplay, with Palminteri aiming to retain many of the aspects of the original script, as it was based largely on his own childhood. Production began in 1991, and was funded in collaboration with De Niro's Tribeca Productions and Savoy Pictures, as the first film released by each studio. A Bronx Tale premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 1993, and was released in the United States on September 29, 1993. The film achieved limited commercial success, grossing more than $17 million domestically. However, it fared much better with critics, who praised the performances of the leads, and launched Palminteri's acting career, while also helping De Niro gain acceptance as a director.